Hopedale: Seven Hills, selectmen discuss move into estate

HOPEDALE - Work on a historic Adin Street mansion to convert it into a residence for 12 intellectually and medically disabled children will begin next week.

Representatives from The Seven Hills Foundation, which purchased the estate at 34 Adin St. for $1.2 million in July, met with the Board of Selectmen Tuesday to discuss mitigiating potential effects of moving into a residential neighborhood.

The foundation is a non-profit organization headquarted in Worcester and provides health and human services for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.

The home, built in 1850, was considered a potential location for Hopedale’s Town Hall, but residents at a public forum in late March shot down the idea.

The estate was once home to Frank Dutcher, former president of the Draper Corporation, once the largest maker of textile looms in the country.

The mansion was converted into a nursing home sometime after 1930 and was then converted into a residence again in 2005, but the home foreclosed in 2012.

Joe Tosches, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Seven Hills, said some neighbors have questioned the organization’s license of only 12 patients in a 18,000-square-foot mansion and if they intend to bring in more.

"We are licensed for 12, max," he said, adding that concerns over parking, transportation in and out of the property and landscaping will be addressed.

"It’s clear that we hold ourselves to a very high standard entering this prestigious neighborhood," he said. "We will be good stewards of the property."

Selectman Chairman Janet Jacaruso said the foundation should stick to it’s "great reputation for high-quality services" even though some residents want homes on Adin Street to remain as homes.

But energy costs in the large homes have become too expensive for many homeowners.

"I think it’s a good fit," she said. "They give extremely challenged people a life that can be as fulfilling as possible for them, especially children."

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.